Explosion at Indiana's Crane naval base sends 5 to hospital

Part of a Southern Indiana naval installation was shut down Friday while the military investigated a pyrotechnic facility explosion that injured five employees the previous evening.

The explosion happened about 5:40 p.m. Thursday during routine cleanup operations at the Crane naval base facility, about 85 miles southwest of Indianapolis, said Crane Army Ammunition Activity spokesman Tom Peske. The five were examined and released from a hospital Thursday evening.

The blast happened during a cleanup at the facility that produces illumination mortars the military uses to give light to soldiers, Peske said. Employees follow procedures to clean up any loose chemical dust at the beginning or end of a production run.

The facility was shut down as Crane looks into the cause of the explosion.

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Explosion at Indiana's Crane naval base sends 5 to hospital

Part of a Southern Indiana naval installation was shut down Friday while the military investigated a pyrotechnic facility explosion that injured five employees the previous evening.